Someone Like You
by ScarLovesGreys
Summary: Three years ago, her heart was broken into a million pieces by the man who was the love of her life. She packed her things and left, trying to forget Seattle. But when Christina begs her to come back to Seattle Grace Hospital for a consult she decides to go, not knowing what she left behind...
1. 00 Prologue

_A.N.: So, i'm a little nervous to post this story. I wrote this a couple of years ago and posted it here on Fanfiction. But somewhere along the way i lost interest. Now, a couple of years later and still being a hardcore Grey's fan, I read this story again and wanted to finish it! Please, let me know what you guys think!_

_Also: English isn't my native language, but I'm trying to do my best!_

**Prologue**

It has been three years.

She looked at the pictures in the small, blue box and realized it has been three years already. Three years ago she was happy. Three years ago they were kissing each other goodnight after a nice dinner.

Three years ago, she had the best feeling in the whole world. She was young, had a good job, a couple of friends who she considered as family and a guy who was the love of her life. But who knew that the best feeling in the world could change so quickly?

A tear went down her cheek. The pain she felt in the aftermath wasn't gone completely. Even after three years she felt it sometimes. But on these kind of days the pain became unbearable. She didn't want to think of it. She didn't want to remember it. She didn't want to relive it. But on these days the past haunted her, day and night.

She took another picture and looked at it. There were two guys and three girls at the picture, including her. Another tear fell down. They were her friends, her family. There was this feeling in her stomach now. It felt like she left them, betrayed them. They still called each other and e-mailed each other, but it wasn't the same. They were in Seattle and she was all the way in Amsterdam.

She wiped her tears from her cheeks and put the box back in the closet. she knew that she needed to get her mind together. Her friends in Seattle had their own life and so did he. Her friends didn't talk about him so she didn't knew what he was doing but she knew that he was okay, or even more than okay. And so was she. Right?

She looked at the box again. She pretended she was fine, but she knew better. She wanted to go back and today made her want to go back even more. But she knew she couldn't do that.  
And she had to say, her life in Amsterdam was fine. She was almost done with her residency. In about two months, she would become an attending. And she lived in a beautiful apartment, near the hospital. Amsterdam was actually pretty great.

But it wasn't Seattle.

"Meredith, are you okay?"

Suddenly her thoughts were gone. She was back to reality. She sighed and looked at the guy in the doorway. She nodded and gave him a little smile.

"Jeah, just miles away," she answered and stood up to follow the guy.

It has been three years now, but sometimes it felt like it was yesterday…


	2. 01 I Do This Every Day

**01\. I Do this Every Day**

Meredith looked at the entrance in front of her. The big blue letters on the wall said "OVLG", the name of the hospital where Meredith has been working for the past two and a half years. It was a nice hospital with a pretty good education program. And a big plus was that she already chose a specialty.

"Hey Mer, are you coming inside?"

Meredith looked up and saw a tall guy standing next to her. She gave him a nod and followed him inside.  
Rick was a typical Dutch guy with blond hair, blue eyes and a friendly, charming smile. He was in the same year as Meredith and also chose internal medicine as specialization. When they first met, Meredith thought that he was into her ignored him, trying to avoid him as much as possible.  
But when she had a flat tire and had to walk home after a long day at work, he was her knight in shining armor. He offered her a ride on his bike and they started chatting. That's when she realized he had just been trying to be nice to her and the two became good friends.

After a short walk, she picked up her clothes and went to the resident lounge to change. She put her bag inside her locker, changed into her work outfit, clipped her name tag on her lab coat and put on her shoes. A petite, young woman with brown, curly hair sat down next to her to tie her shoelaces. Meredith didn't have to look up to know who sat down next to her.

Anne was her other friend here in Amsterdam. When Rick introduced her to Meredith, she knew she liked her right away. She was a bit of an artsy, creative person who was passionate about music. She played the piano very well, but because of an injury to her elbow, she couldn't apply for the conservatory. So, she decided to combine her passion for music with medicine and wanted to become anorthopedic doctor for dancers and musicians.

'So, are we still on for tonight?'

Meredith smiled. 'You bet! It's the first night I'm off since last Monday. I'm can't wait to try out that cocktail place you and Rick have been talking about.'

'Yeah, me too! What time your shift ends?'

'17.30, same as yours. Do you guys want to grab something to eat before we go?'

Anne stood up and nodded. 'Sounds great. Pick you up at 7?'

'Okay,' Meredith answered while they walked out of the resident lounge. Anne went right, where Meredith went left, ready for her shift to begin.

* * *

Meredith sat down in the cafeteria and sighed. She was happy to have her lunch break. What should have been a quiet morning, resulted in a patient who had an internal bleeding after surgery.

A guy came towards Meredith and kissed her on her cheek.

'How is my favorite resident doing this morning?' he asked and sat down next to her.

Meredith just shrugged. 'I'm happy when I finish this shift. I'm looking forward to a couple of days of relaxing.'

'Relaxing? Don't you have to study?'

Meredith took a sip of her coffee. 'I do, but not tonight. We are going to drink cocktails at this new place.'

The guy frowned. 'Oh? And why didn't you tell me?' he said, not hiding his judgement.

'Because,' Meredith replied.

'So you can go out with your friends but you can't make any time for me?'

Meredith sighed. 'Come on Stijn, you know that's not true.'

'And when you do,' the guy continued, 'you are in a bad mood, like yesterday.'

'I was just… off. You know why.'

'that doesn't mean you can use it as an excuse for everything.'

Meredith closed her eyes. She knew that she didn't stand a chance against him when he was being unreasonable like this. She liked Stijn, a lot. He started to work as an attending at the OLVG last year and when Meredith met him, she knew he was the remedy to forget Derek. The two started dating a month after they met and have been together ever since. He was ambitious, full of passion, a bit stubborn and didn't like to use many words to express his feelings. On these moments, she knew she had to use a different tactic.

'I know, I'm sorry. Why don't you join us tonight? I will make it up to you later, promise.'

Stijn gave her a cocky smile. 'That's better,' he simply replied, stood up and walked away.

Meredith started to take a bite of her sandwich when her next lunch guests arrived. Anne and Rick sat down and looked at her.

'What?'

'You invited Stijn? We were supposed to have a night out just with the three of us!' Anne shrieked. 'I didn't ask Luke to join us, did I?'

'That's because you aren't talking to each other, remember?' Rick replied matter-of-factly.

Anne threw her napkin in Rick's direction. 'I would if he would stop being so passive aggressive!'

'It's the same thing Derek always did,' Meredith mumbled.

Her friends didn't reply. They just stared at her, shocked. But they weren't as shocked as Meredith herself. She never talked about her past, let along about him. Rick and Anne only knew the story from some deep, drunk conversation after too many tequila shots on a night's out, but they were smart enough to never ask about him.

Rick tried to break the silence. 'Meredith, do you want to talk about it? It must have been hard for you yesterday."

Anne tried to help. 'Yeah Mer, we're here for you, if you want to talk or something.'

Meredith stared blankly at Rick and Anne. She knew that they meant it well, but the only thing she felt was anger.

'Listen and listen carefully. I will only say this once. I don't want to talk about it. I didn't talk about him for the past three years and I won't talk about him for the next three years. The past is in the past and will stay in the past. Is that clear?'

Anne and Rick looked at her, not knowing what to say. Meredith sighed.

'Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to go check on a patient.'

* * *

A few hours later, Meredith was ready for the day. She quickly changed back into her own clothes, grabbed her stuff and walked out of the building. She couldn't help it but feeling guilty. She knew Anne and Rick meant well and she didn't mean to lash out to them.

When she walked down the stairs, she saw Stijn waiting for her at the entrance. He smiled when he saw her and it made Meredith feel a little les guilty.

Stijn held the door for her. 'If you want, I can give you a lift. Get back to your place, change… And maybe we can do something of that making up you promised?'

"hold on a sec," Meredith said while she was taking her phone out of her bag. Surprisingly, there was a little green light at the top of her screen. She unlocked her phone and read the text message. First, she was surprised that it was Cristina. Sure, they talked to each other a lot via email and skype. But they didn't send each other messages that often. But when she read the message, she got a strange feeling.

_You need to call me. It's urgent... X Cris._


	3. 02 One Call Away

_A.N.: I am having a lot of fun rewriting this story! I even took the story with me so that I can write during my holiday in Rome. Hope you guys like it too! Please let me know if you do!_

**02\. One Call Away. **

Everybody knows the feeling. The feeling you get when something is about to happen. The feeling that one call could change your life. The call about your acceptance at college. The call about the job you want. The call from the hospital about your test results. The call when someone passed away. The call from a friend about something urgent.

She knew that this was one of those calls.

'I have to talk to her,' Meredith said with a hint of panic in her voice.

Stijn looked at her. 'Mer, I'm sure she can wait. Let's go home first.'

Meredith shook her head. She knew it annoyed him, but she didn't care at the moment. 'No Stijn, she can't wait. Christina wouldn't bother me if it wasn't urgent. Look, I know that you don't like it when I talk to one of them because you think that I have to let them go, but they are still my friends and she needs me. Now if you'll excuse me.' She walked away, leaving him standing alone at the parking lot.

* * *

'She wants what?!' The bottle of beer Stijn had been holding in his hand, hit the table they were sitting at. Not only he, but also Rick and Anne looked at Meredith with disbelief, waiting for her to say it was all a joke.

'She wants me to come Seattle to work on a case with her,' Meredith said impatiently. She hadn't said a thing when she and Stijn got home. She went straight to the bathroom to take a long shower so she could think. She knew Stijn would not like the idea of her going to Seattle, but she also knew that Christina wouldn't ask such thing if it wasn't urgent.

But there was something strange about this whole situation. Why did Christina asked her? In the three years she was gone, her friends didn't ask her to come to Seattle once. Meredith was sure they could handle the case just fine without her. So why did she have to come?  
Sure, the way Christina was taking about the case made it sound like it would interest her. And Christina was right that it was a great opportunity to see her friends again and catch up. But she still couldn't wrap her mind around why she had asked her instead of an attending.

Anne was the one who broke the silence. 'Are you going?'

Meredith looked at her. Not only it was the first thing Anne said since their lunch break, she didn't know what to answer. She sure would love to see her friends again, but she knew it would also bring up the past again. Let alone, she would probably have to face Derek at one point, and an didn't know of she could handle that.

'I don't know yet. I mean, I have to check if I arrange something at work, see if I can transfer some of my patients to another colleague and I want to read the file first,' Meredith answered after a while. She knew that wasn't the whole answer, but it was the best thing to say right now.

She looked at Stijn, who had been quiet the whole time. She knew he didn't like this, at all. And if it came down to it, it was his decision, not hers. If he didn't like the idea of her going to Seattle, it would not happen. Period. Just like everything else.

'I will think about it, let's just enjoy our night out first, okay?' She added. Everyone nodded and Meredith got up and walked towards the bar to order a next round. While she was waiting, she felt her phone buzzing.

_I really hope you can come. You know I would not ask if it wasn't important to me. X_

Meredith sighed. She knew Christina was right. It had to be important to her, otherwise she wouldn't ask such favor.

Maybe she just had to go. Apparently, she couldn't hide from the past, so why not embrace it? Maybe this was her chance to deal with the past, to finally move on. And on the plus side, it was a nice opportunity to see her friends again.  
The only thing she didn't want, was to see Derek. The last thing she needed was for him to interfere with her relationship with Stijn. Maybe she could avoid him, make sure that she was working when he was not. She could do research at her old home and just visit the hospital when necessary.

She took her phone and looked at the table her friends were sitting. Rick and Anne were talking to each other, but Stijn stared at her. She knew she would get in trouble for this, but it felt kind of right.

_I will do my best. Just send me the info, and I will talk to my attending. You can count on me. X Mer. _

'What did you send?' Stijn asked immediately when Meredith walked back to the table with a couple of drinks.

'Well, thanks for the drinks Mer, you didn't have to do that,' she replied sarcastically.

Stijn was getting impatient. He started tot tap on the table with his fingers. 'That's not an answer, what did you send to Christina?'

'Nothing. It's none of your business, actually.'

Stijn hit the table with his fist. Anne and Rick looked up, surprised. But Meredith didn't give a flinch. 'Cut the crap, Meredith! It sure is my business. What did you send to her?'

'I told her that she could count on me,' Meredith answered briefly. She anticipated an angry answer from Stijn, but he fell silent. Instead, he just stood up and walked towards the bathroom.

Meredith turned to Anne and Rick, trying to change the subject. She knew this wasn't the end of it. She knew this fight would continue at home, but she didn't care. It felt right.


	4. 03 Fight For Your Right

_A.N.: I wanted to say hi to my new followers! I love that you are liking the story so far and I would love to read your thoughts and comments__! Please, leave a review or send me a message! _

**03\. Fight For Your Right.**

'Stijn, just stop it! You are only making things worse. If you don't want me to go to Seattle, just say it! Now you are just a hypocrite who can't stand the fact that his girlfriend has been asked to work on a medical case abroad instead of him! Because that's wat this is all about, isn't it?'

Meredith knew this wasn't the reason Stijn was angry, but she couldn't help it. He poked the bear.

When she and Stijn got back to her place, their fight continued and got worse. They didn't spoke to each other at the bar anymore, and on the way home they were silent as well. But when she locked the front door behind her, it was on. Stijn started yelling right away. Meredith tried to ignore it, just like she always did. But when Stijn said he would not allow her to go to Seattle, something snapped.

Stijn started laughing. 'Do you really think that that's what this is all about? About me being jealous? Come on Meredith, I hope you know me better by now!'

'How am I suppose to know? You don't talk,' Meredith yelled back. 'Let's get down to it, then? You want to talk? Then talk. Tell me what's on your mind. Come on then, spit it out!'

Stijn's cheeks turned red. 'Oh cut the crap Meredith! Don't be so naïve, goddammit!' his nostrils started to flare. Meredith knew it wasn't a good sign.

'It's for your own damn good,' he continued. 'You are the one who wants to forget Seattle. How can you forget Seattle if you are going to go there, see everyone again? Goddammit Meredith, how can you be so freaking blind!'

What happened next, was a repeat of most of the fights Meredith and Stijn had. His breaths were short and fast, his face turning red. He looked around him and grabbed the nearest object from the table next to him.

Meredith put up her arms to protect herself, but Stijn didn't miss his target. The vase hit her and broke into pieces. After that, it was silent.

A deep cut on her forearm started to bleed right away, but Meredith didn't move. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. Her heart was racing and she was anticipating another hit.  
Normally, Stijn was a sweetheart, a good man. When they started dating, she could finally allow herself to be interested in a man again. Stijn made her feel happy, loved. But the first time they got into a fight, she saw a different side of him. He became so angry he threw his glass against the wall. But he never aimed at Meredith.

At least, not until now.

'Meredith, I'm so sorry,' Stijn started right away and walked towards her, wanting to hug her. But Meredith backed away.

'Don't touch me,' she hissed. She started to shake uncontrollably. She walked past him to the kitchen and started to clean the wound on her forearm. It wasn't until then, she noticed the tears on her cheeks.

She tried to reinforce herself. This wasn't Stijn. He normally didn't do this. It must have been a mistake. He probably didn't want to hit her, she told herself.

'Mer, are you okay?' Stijn stood in the doorway, looking sad.

Meredith turned around, trying to look as brave as possible. 'It's not about the past,' she started firmly. 'It's just a great opportunity for me to see my friends, to work with them again. It will be strictly work related, nothing else.'

Stijn walked toward her, and Meredith froze. 'How will I know?' Stijn replied. 'How will I know it won't get personal? The past few days were only about Derek! Oh, don't look so shocked Meredith, everyone noticed.'

Meredith didn't answer. Was he right? Was it all about Derek?

He sure was on her mind more then usual, but that was just because of the time of the year. And if it was up to her, Derek would be buried somewhere deep down in the back of her mind.

She closed her eyes again and sighed. Now she understood why Stijn didn't want her to to Seattle. He was right. Partly, her trip would be about seeing her friends again. But a small part of her hoped she would see him again. Maybe to know he was okay, maybe to show him she was okay, she didn't know.

She opened her eyes again, trying to regain herself. She didn't want to look weak in front of Stijn, because then he would know he was right.

'I think this discussion is over. Let's get some sleep and talk about it tomorrow, when we both are a bit more reasonable, okay?' Meredith turned around and walked down the hallway, hoping Stijn would follow her.

'No.'

It took Meredith a second to realize Stijn didn't follow her. She turned around and looked at him. She didn't know what to think or suspect, but she knew this time she was the one who was getting angry.

'No? What do you want to do then? More yelling? More fighting? More throwing things at me? Come on Stijn, spit it out! You know I can handle it!'

But Stijn didn't seem to be angry anymore, which frustrated Meredith even more. He just looked at her, thoughtful, like he was looking for the right words to say.

Meredith shook her head. 'This is useless. I'm going to bed, we'll talk about it tomorrow. Goodnight Stijn,' with that, she walked up the stairs.

Suddenly, Stijn started to speak. 'I want to be sure that when you go to Seattle, it will only be for work. Not for the personal stuff you left there. And even if it will get personal, I want to make sure that you'll come back and be with me.'

Meredith stopped and looked puzzled. What was he trying to say? 'I don't understand, what do you mean?' She whispered after a while.

'I mean that if you will see Derek at the hospital and things do get personal, you need to remember me. I love you Meredith, more then he ever will. You have to keep that in mind.' Stijn's voice sounded weak.

Meredith didn't understand what he was saying. Was he trying to solve their fight? Or was he trying to say goodbye to her? She didn't know. Her mind was fuzzy and she didn't want to think anymore. She turned around to see his face, hoping she could read him. But she couldn't.'

Stijn looked at her and walked onto the stairs. Meredith's heart started racing again, preparing herself for the worst, but he just took her hands in his.

'I'm so sorry Meredith,' he said softly. He put his forehead against hers.

Meredith sighed. 'I know you are,' she whispered.

Stijn pulled back his head and looked deeply into her eyes. After a moment, he spoke with a trembling voice. 'Meredith Grey, will you marry me?'


End file.
